1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of devices for retaining a boot on a gliding board adapted to snowboarding.
2. Description of Background and Relevant Information
In snowboarding, a user has both feet retained on a board, the feet being oriented substantially along a transverse direction of the board.
Certain devices are provided to retain flexible boots on the board, whereas others are provided to retain rigid boots.
In the case of flexible boots, a device is generally provided with a rear support element, such that the user can transmit forces to the board with the rear of the lower leg.
Certain devices also have a lateral lug, or enlargement, associated with the rear support element. The lateral lug has an inner surface that extends along the boot upper, at the area of one side of the lower leg. The lug is provided such that the user can transmit forces to the board, along a substantially longitudinal direction of the board.
That is the case, for example, when the user offsets the center of gravity of his body toward one end of the board.
The lug is also provided to transmit certain ground reactions on the board to the user. This is particularly useful in negotiating a turn having a large radius of curvature at high speed.
The devices provided with lugs improve the precision and control when operating the board, as compared with devices without lugs.
However, it has been shown that the improvement is not permanent. Indeed, the boot sometimes does not remain in contact with the lug when the user presses to transmit a force, or when the board restores a ground reaction.
An object of the invention is especially to ensure that the boot upper remains in contact with the lug, or enlargement, when the user presses down to transmit a force along a substantially longitudinal direction of the board, or when the board restores the ground reactions.
A device for retaining a boot on a gliding board adapted to snowboarding, according to the invention, includes a base provided to at least partially receive the boot sole, a mechanism provided to retain the boot on the base, and a rear support element provided to receive the boot upper in the rear of the user""s lower leg, by contact with a front surface of the rear support element, the rear support element having at least one lateral lug, or enlargement, the lateral lug having an inner surface provided to extend along the boot upper on one side of the user""s lower leg.
The device according to the invention has at least one friction plate that projects at least partially with respect to the inner surface of lug, the friction plate having a friction surface provided at least to oppose a spacing of the upper with respect to the front surface of the rear support surface.
As a result, the portion of the upper located on one side of the lower leg remains more often in contact with the lug when the user presses down to transmit a force along the length of the board, or when the board restores the ground reaction also lengthwise.
As a result, the steering precision and control are advantageously better.